What does "lend" mean?
Loan (permission to borrow (something)).
Lend
/lɛnd/ noun, verb
noun, verb ·Moderate ·College level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: Loan (permission to borrow (something)).
- Grammar: lend is listed as noun, verb.
- Nearest alternatives: loan, add, contribute, accommodate.
- Useful contrasts: borrowed books, borrowed word form, borrowing.
- Usage evidence: If you lend someone $20 and never see that person again, it was probably worth it.
How to use "lend"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "lend" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "lend" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "lend" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "lend" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "lend" is acting as noun, verb in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "loan" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "lend", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 Loan (permission to borrow (something)). dialectal, with-definite-article
"“But,” says Arthur, “I wouldn't be proud of your clothes, / For you've only the lend of them, as I suppose.”"
- 2 The lumbar region; loin. UK, dialectal
- 3 The loins; flank; buttocks. UK, dialectal
Verb
- 1 To allow to be used by someone temporarily, on condition that it or its equivalent will be returned. transitive
"I will only lend you my car if you fill up the tank."
- 2 give temporarily; let have for a limited time wordnet
- 3 To make a loan. intransitive
- 4 bestow a quality on wordnet
- 5 To be suitable or applicable, to fit. reflexive
"Poems do not lend themselves to translation easily."
Show 3 more definitions
- 6 have certain characteristics of qualities for something; be open or vulnerable to wordnet
- 7 To afford; to grant or furnish in general.
"Can you lend me some assistance?"
- 8 To borrow. proscribed
Synonyms
All synonymsExample
"If you lend someone $20 and never see that person again, it was probably worth it."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "lend"?
Common synonyms include: loan, add, contribute, accommodate, accommodate with, accommodation.
How do you use "lend" in a sentence?
If you lend someone $20 and never see that person again, it was probably worth it.
How do you pronounce "lend"?
Pronounced /lɛnd/.
Etymology
Etymology 1
From earlier len (with excrescent -d, as in sound), from Middle English lenen, lænen, from Old English lǣnan (“to lend; give, grant, lease”), from Proto-West Germanic *laihnijan, from Proto-Germanic *laihnijaną (“to loan”), from Proto-Germanic *laihną (“loan”), from Proto-Indo-European *leykʷ- (“to leave, leave over”). Cognate with Scots len, lend (“to lend”), West Frisian liene (“to lend, borrow, loan”), Dutch lenen (“to lend, borrow, loan”), Danish låne (“to lend, loan”), Swedish låna (“to lend, loan”), Icelandic lána (“to lend, loan”), Icelandic léna (“to grant”), Latin linquō (“quit, leave, forlet”), Ancient Greek λείπω (leípō, “leave, release”). See also loan.
Etymology 2
From Middle English lende (usually in plural as lendes, leendes, lyndes), from Old English lendenu, lendino (“loins”), plural of Old English lenden (“loin”), from Proto-West Germanic *landī, from Proto-Germanic *landį̄ (“loin”), from Proto-Indo-European *lendʰ- (“loin, kidney”). Cognate with Scots lend, leynd (“the loins, flank, buttocks”), Dutch lendenen (“loins, reins”), German Lenden (“loins”), Swedish länder (“loins”), Danish lænd (“loin”), Icelandic lendar (“loins”), Latin lumbus (“loin”) (whence loin), Polish lędźwie (“loins”), Russian ля́двея (ljádveja, “thigh, haunch”).